Memorials held for river victim

Friends of a Worcester teenager who drowned in the River Severn have gathered to remember him.

Tony Ballard, 17, from Worcester, had been swimming with friends when he got into difficulty near the city's racecourse on Monday.

Memorials were held at Fort Royal Hill and by the river where he died. Flowers were laid by a tree on the bank.

Tony's father, Rev Duncan Ballard, said his son was "big-hearted and generous of spirit".

The Mercia Inshore Search and Rescue (MISAR) charity has offered to donate two life rings to the Wheatsheaf Pub near the river after the landlord said safety needed to be improved.

Publican Guy Beech helped three of Tony's friends from the river during the rescue operation.

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Mercia Inshore Search and Rescue
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